Aodhán
Say it: AY-dawn
BoyIrishMeans little fire6 letters2 syllables
#272
in Ireland (2025)
#239 with spellings combined
19
babies in 2025
#171
best rank (2014)
691
babies since 1977
Down 18
10-year rank change
Aodhán through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | #239 |
| 2024 | 19 | #229 |
| 2023 | 20 | #220 |
| 2022 | 25 | #200 |
| 2021 | 27 | #193 |
| 2020 | 30 | #174 |
| 2019 | 26 | #202 |
| 2018 | 24 | #223 |
| 2017 | 28 | #203 |
| 2016 | 24 | #224 |
| 2015 | 25 | #221 |
| 2014 | 37 | #171 |
| 2013 | 33 | #187 |
| 2012 | 30 | #199 |
| 2011 | 24 | #225 |
| 2010 | 22 | #241 |
| 2009 | 27 | #209 |
| 2008 | 18 | #252 |
| 2007 | 18 | #234 |
| 2006 | 15 | #239 |
| 2005 | 11 | #254 |
| 2004 | 19 | #186 |
| 2003 | 15 | #200 |
| 2002 | 16 | #193 |
| 2001 | 14 | #191 |
| 2000 | 7 | #250 |
| 1999 | 5 | #290 |
| 1998 | 5 | #280 |
| 1997 | 8 | #251 |
| 1996 | 7 | #261 |
| 1995 | 7 | #241 |
| 1994 | 9 | #208 |
| 1993 | 13 | #190 |
| 1991 | 5 | #263 |
| 1990 | 7 | #229 |
| 1989 | 5 | #253 |
| 1988 | 11 | #186 |
| 1986 | 4 | #283 |
| 1985 | 5 | #250 |
| 1983 | 6 | #237 |
| 1982 | 5 | #268 |
| 1981 | 6 | #246 |
| 1979 | 4 | #292 |
| 1978 | 3 | #326 |
| 1977 | 3 | #333 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Aodhán mean?
Little fire
Irish, from Old Irish Aédán, from Aodh (fire) with the small ending -án.
Say it right
AYdawn
In Ulster and Connacht Irish "aodh" sounds like EE, so EE-dawn. The "dh" is silent.
Not:AY-oh-danOH-dan
The story of Aodhán
Aodhán goes back to the Old Irish Aédán. It is a pet form of Aodh, an old name meaning fire, with the small ending -án, so “little fire”. Aidan is its English form, and the name has passed into several other languages.
The most famous bearer is Saint Aodhán, known in English as Aidan of Lindisfarne. He was an Irish monk at Iona who was sent to Northumbria in 635, when its king asked for a bishop. He set up his base on the island of Lindisfarne, travelled on foot to preach, and used gifts to free slaves. He died in 651.
Aodhán first reached the CSO list in 1977. It had its best year in 2014, with 37 boys, reaching number 171. The CSO did not record fadas before 2018, so these figures count Aodhán and Aodhan together; Aidan and Aodán are counted separately. The name is more popular in Northern Ireland, where it reached number 52 in 2020.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Aodhán (Irish proper noun)
- Wiktionary: Aodh (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Aidan
- Wikipedia: Aidan of Lindisfarne
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Aodhán | 16 | 176 |
| Aodhan | 3 | 515 |
In Northern Ireland
#72 in 2025 with 33 babies. Best rank #52 (2020); 980 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.